Wheelchair Accessible Guide to Los Angeles

Now that you’re settling into your new California condo, there’s plenty of reasons why you might want to pay Los Angeles a visit. Home of Hollywood, the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive and more than a few great restaurants, L.A. clearly reigns as one of the nation’s best cities (and best vacation stops–it’s hard to beat that Southern California weather).

If you’re planning a vacation with accessibility in mind, however, you might worry about taking advantage all of the city’s activities. High steps or a narrow doorway can make a trip less than ideal for wheelchair users. Luckily, L.A. has rated among one of the most accessible cities in the U.S., with plenty of options and activities everyone can enjoy. Hop in your car and travel the city end-to-end, and you’re sure to see some unforgettable sights–with no worries. Who knows, you might even catch sight of a few Hollywood stars.

Activities & Attractions

The first thing you’ll be planning is what, exactly, you’d like to see while you’re in town. For foodies, there’s no shortage of accessible restaurant options (perhaps too many to count—though you’d be missing out if you skipped the Griddle Café) But with L.A.’s many activities and attractions, it might be a more difficult to dig through reviews and websites looking for things to do and potential accommodations. Here’s our top suggestions.

Universal Studios

Dining and doing might as well be the theme park’s middle name. Universal Studios offers rides and attractions featuring box office and home favorites such as Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. There are also studio tours on offer, for those who want to see just how the movies get made. Universal Studios offers assistance passes for disabled guests, allowing them to wait in alternate queues for rides, and many, if not most, rides are equipped to accommodate wheelchair users and courtesy shuttles. If you’re looking for more thrills and chills, you can’t miss with a trip out to the classic Disneyland.

Hollywood Bowl

The iconic outdoor amphitheater is a great place to catch a once-in-a-lifetime show. Home of the L.A. Philharmonic, the Bowl has hosted musicians from Judy Garland to Chance the Rapper. Just beyond the Bowl, you can catch sight of the famous Hollywood sign—two things you can cross off your L.A. to-do list. The Bowl is ADA compliant and provides accessible seating arrangements.

Rodeo Drive

You can’t pass up on a chance to shop with the stars. The famous Rodeo Drive, a three-block stretch of around 45 high-end shops from Bottega Veneta to Valentino, is known as a prime spot to catch movie stars and more shopping and enjoying the day. Even if you’re not much for Dior, it’s worth a look. The Drive’s sidewalks are wide enough for wheelchair users, and most stores are accessible. And if you’re looking for a few more places to get your shopping in, you might also try the Grove, a premier outdoor shopping center, and one of the most accessible, with ramps, parking and plenty of shops as you cruise around in an accessible electric vehicle.

Parks & Museums

If you’ve had your fill of shopping and studios, and your Philharmonic tickets aren’t until the next day, then you might be wondering what else you might see. The answer: grab a rental car and see L.A.’s cultural sights, and natural beauty.

Santa Monica Beach & Pier

The colorful pastel pier has a long (nearly 100-year) history of two rival pier owners looking to outdo each other. While the pier’s fraught history is long past, there’s more than enough fun. Aside from the Pier’s amusement park, Santa Monica Beach itself is considered to be a SoCal top attraction. The beach provides a paved path along the sand for wheelchair users, and the city provides free beach wheelchair rentals, provided you call ahead.

Paul Getty Center

The Getty features not only incredible art exhibitions, but a 134,000 square-foot central garden boasting over 500 varieties of plant life—and that’s not to mention the unusual and sweeping curves of the Getty Center itself. The museum’s permanent collection of European paintings span many centuries, from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, and they frequently display rare books and photographs. The Center is wholly accessible to wheelchair users, providing a tram to and from parking plazas to the Center’s hilltop perch.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

Trust us, it’s not world-famous for nothing. Deep in the heart of Downtown L.A., the MOCA has astounding holdings post-1940, featuring artists like Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Agnes Martin. The museum provides elevator access to its galleries and wheelchair loans.

Griffith Park and Observatory

Both the Park and the Observatory are fully accessible, and it’s a view not to miss. Not only can you get a full view of Los Angeles from the Pacific Ocean all the way to Downtown, it’s another chance to snap a quick pic with the Hollywood Sign. Need we say more?